Animal Planet..

[Skiploder]

Nowadays Animal Planet and it's programming choices have become hot button topics on the interwebs.

Why is it so surprising that Animal Planet chooses to show the sordid and sensationalist side of herpetoculture? Animal Planet makes it's living on advertising and advertisers look for ratings. While the members of BP-Net may want to see documentaries about the respective lives of Roger Conant and Karl Schmidt, the general public wants titillation. They want drama, they want animals eating other animals, animals killing people. They want to be entertained, not educated.

The problem is that our hobby has always had a group of a$$-hats that do some truly stupid things. Whether it's 10 Burmese pythons in the Everglades or 10 million, the fact that they - along with countless other non-native reptile species - reside there should be an embarrassment to everyone who claims they want more intelligent discourse regarding our hobby.

Here where I live in the Bay Area, some douche bag let loose a 6' BCI and a small burmese python in the Contra Costa Canal during the middle of a cold streak. A good samaritan took them both to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum where they both eventually died (overnight temps were in the 20s here).

No, they didn't populate the Bay Area and begin eating kids, but it was another example of this hobby attracting it's fair share of idiots who buy without research and then make matters worse by releasing the animals into the wild.

As long as there are stupid people in this hobby, there will exist an audience for their antics. Whether it's the dimwit who let free the first rock python in the Everglades or the moron who hoarded venomous snakes without being able to exercise the proper protocols and died as a result, the public is very willing to be entertained by our collective boobery.

Next time I see some expert debating exactly how many pythons exist in the Everglades I'm going to put my face through a window. Has anyone here ever taken a look at the comprehensive list of invasive species of reptile now inhabiting the Everglades? It's disgusting and it's beyond defending, so people need to stop doing just that.

More importantly, arguing about the scope of the problem is a waste of time. The problem exists and no amount of maximizing or minimizing it's scope is going to change that.

Think of Animal Planet as an unloaded gun. Think of our collective stupid deeds as the ammunition. Without our stupid deeds, the only thing that gun is good for is a paper weight.

Educate people before they buy. Educate people after they buy. Call out idiotic behavior for what it is and do your part in making herpetoculture much less newsworthy.

[zeion97]

You have to ask this question? No. The rule will do nothing pragmatic to address Burmese pythons on the ground, with breeding populations thus far confined to only 3 counties in the southern tip of Florida. Besides the USGS report, which as been thoroughly discredited as "unscientific" and "unsuitable for the basis of legislative or regulatory policy" by an independent panel of 11 herpetologists and other well respected scientists, and considering that this federal rulemaking violates the Information Quality Procedures Act and 3 Obama executive orders, what other credible science exists to support it. Burmese pythons in the Everglades are a state of Florida issue thus far confined only to 3 counties in the southernmost tip of Florida. Federal regulations are not needed for what is a localized problem. Period. The state of Florida has already addressed this issue by effectively outlawing Reptiles of Concern (ROC’s). By comparison, both feral cats, and swine are both far more widespread and ecologically destructive “invasive” species worldwide. Even invasive species of plants in Florida such as Brazilian pepper have been proven to have a far more profound impact on the entire ecosystem in which it invades.The apparent fact that H$US (The Humane Society of the United states) favors failed feral cat controls, ignores the issue of rattlesnake roundups and other wildlife abuses for TV and entertainment (i.e. Kentucky Turtleman on Animal planet), and discriminates against the captive bred reptile trade is the very epitome of the misleading and hypocritical nature of the sham of an organization.

There have now been several published papers and research that thoroughly debunk claims made that pythons are capable of inhabiting the southern third of the continental U.S. Do you need me to bring up the links to these studies? Burmese pythons are tropical S.E Asian species, not temperate zone animals. 9 out of 10 pythons died in a S. FL study by Dorcas et all, while all pythons in an Aiken SC study died despite being provided heated artificial refugia (which was a study essentially cheating in the python's favor and they STILL all died). If the USGS report, which the rulemaking is based entirely upon held true, why haven't boa constrictors (which have occurred naturally in Mexico for millions of years) migrated north into the S. United States? Even 95% of the African rock pythons are suspected to have already been extirpated by the weather according to Scott Hardin and FWC exotic species coordinators. Sorry, we won't be seeing any "Man eating super snakes" invading the U.S.A. anytime in the forseeable future.Where is the evidence to support HSUS' claim it makes that pythons are "putting people in danger"? Where is the national epidemic of escaped pythons and other reptiles chasing and terrorizing innocent members of the public? There simply is none, and the fatality rates of these snakes held in captivity over the last 20 years are significantly less than the number killed or maimed by pet dogs and many other domestic animals in the United States one year based on all historical and statistical accounts. Especially when all accounts of Florida FWC and other on the ground officials are stating the contrary?"Scott Hardin, exotic species coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said most Everglades pythons are too small to kill people and exist in areas where the primary hazard to people remains the alligator.""Federal environmental assessments have found little evidence of human deaths from Burmese pythons in their native southern Asia. There are fewer pythons than there were three years ago" Hardin says...

Very nice.. I constantly debate this, and TBH I only put this in here because I assumed someone would start a rant after seeing how the last thread I viewed about them went. The Reptile community seems two sided on this either by saying what you did, or saying they don't belong there. I'll say what I always say though..

It is heavily over dramatized and as Skip said, there will always be those people that buy on a dime, and even if they didn't put all the snakes there, they helped and fueled a fire. Like i said, we're stuck between a rock and a hard spot. Thank you for your addition btw!

Nowadays Animal Planet and it's programming choices have become hot button topics on the interwebs.

Why is it so surprising that Animal Planet chooses to show the sordid and sensationalist side of herpetoculture? Animal Planet makes it's living on advertising and advertisers look for ratings. While the members of BP-Net may want to see documentaries about the respective lives of Roger Conant and Karl Schmidt, the general public wants titillation. They want drama, they want animals eating other animals, animals killing people. They want to be entertained, not educated.

The problem is that our hobby has always had a group of a$$-hats that do some truly stupid things. Whether it's 10 Burmese pythons in the Everglades or 10 million, the fact that they - along with countless other non-native reptile species - reside there should be an embarrassment to everyone who claims they want more intelligent discourse regarding our hobby.

Here where I live in the Bay Area, some douche bag let loose a 6' BCI and a small burmese python in the Contra Costa Canal during the middle of a cold streak. A good samaritan took them both to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum where they both eventually died (overnight temps were in the 20s here).

No, they didn't populate the Bay Area and begin eating kids, but it was another example of this hobby attracting it's fair share of idiots who buy without research and then make matters worse by releasing the animals into the wild.

As long as there are stupid people in this hobby, there will exist an audience for their antics. Whether it's the dimwit who let free the first rock python in the Everglades or the moron who hoarded venomous snakes without being able to exercise the proper protocols and died as a result, the public is very willing to be entertained by our collective boobery.

Next time I see some expert debating exactly how many pythons exist in the Everglades I'm going to put my face through a window. Has anyone here ever taken a look at the comprehensive list of invasive species of reptile now inhabiting the Everglades? It's disgusting and it's beyond defending, so people need to stop doing just that.

More importantly, arguing about the scope of the problem is a waste of time. The problem exists and no amount of maximizing or minimizing it's scope is going to change that.

Think of Animal Planet as an unloaded gun. Think of our collective stupid deeds as the ammunition. Without our stupid deeds, the only thing that gun is good for is a paper weight.

Educate people before they buy. Educate people after they buy. Call out idiotic behavior for what it is and do your part in making herpetoculture much less newsworthy.

Nicely put as usual Skip. Sad to hear about those poor snakes though.....just more reptiles that suffered and paid the price for bad owners.. I do my best to educate everyone where I live though, not just on care, but on weather they want to buy the animals or not. Just a few days ago I stopped someone from buying a Yellow Anaconda just because they thought it was pretty. -_-; I'm still learning myself, and I've referred many people to the forums and hopefully some listened. But in the end we all have to do our part and notice even if we keep different animals, we're all in the same boat.

And tbh, I truly think we won't ever be able to "reclaim" the glades, not just from the burms but the other what, 350-400 other invasive species? Maybe one day Bigfoots will call it home?

[AliCat37]

Not to mention the cruelty of capturing and importing tigers and the like.

I just want to throw it out there that the tigers, lions, bears, and other large exotic mammals are not captured and imported. They are bred right here in America in mass numbers and sold to anyone who flashes the money.
I'm not saying that it is right to keep big cats as pets, but I do have to agree that why should big cat keepers be told they can't have them, but reptile keepers can have their animals? I have no issues with people keeping any exotics as long as they are properly versed in the care of those animals. I know that many zoos house large cats in *better* conditions than we did 50 years ago, but zoos are still not the greatest places in the world, and I think that 9/10 exotics will do better in private hands than in zoos, when provided with the proper care. For instance, our local zoo has four tigers, only two are put on display- in the day time- and they come in at night. This leaves two locked up in roughly 10x10 cages all day and night. Not to mention that these nocturnal animals are brought off exhibit at night when they are active, and put into the tiny 10x10 stalls. It happens with every zoo animal- but in private hands the animals are most likely left in their exhibit space 24/7 so they can be active when they choose to. I know that my reptiles receive better care than those in the zoos, and I believe that most exotic mammal keepers probably take better care of their animals than the zoos do too. This is not to say that I am against zoos, because I'm not. I love them and volunteer at them all the time, but that has nothing to do with the husbandry that takes place.

As for Animal Planet.. I can say that I am not a big fan anymore. I too was watching that "man eating super snake" a few months back and began yelling at the tv when they showed a ball lurking up to children and talking about burms hunting down kids. I will however, agree that burms are a major threat to the ecosystem in Florida, simply because they are taking over as the apex predator (or were). Of course, Florida is filled with non-native exotics since they were at one time, and sadly still are, the place where most reptiles are imported into. I think that right now the burms and tegus are just getting all the attention because they are new and were thriving before the cold snap. In a few years I am sure it will be something else... I don't think that bans should be enacted ANYWHERE for reptiles, because banning them is not going to make the ones that are already existing in the wild go away.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I actually agree. The impression we've been given is that keepers of large exotic mammals ALWAYS do it wrong...and that simply isn't true. I've seen the enclosures at even the best zoos, and many private keepers do it better. (It's true of the reptiles, as well--the enclosures look snazzy, but aren't necessarily ideal for the species in them, and they mix multiple species in ways that sometimes looks just plain inexplicable. They have a poor GTP surrounded by about a dozen large tree frogs at Henry Doorly here. That has to be stressful, and the enclosure's been that way for many months now).
I know that at least one big cat at Henry Doorly is chewing its own tail off.

I also support zoos, but the claims that only they know how to handle these animals is WAY off...in many cases, they don't do a proper job of it, much less a better job.

Lions and tigers and bears...yeah, they're all dangerous animals, and it's hazardous to work with them, but not everyone who has them is neglectful, or a nutjob that takes risks.

The same is true of people who keep Retics, Burms, and Green Anacondas....all dangerous animals. Or, crocodilians, crocodile and water monitors, or venomous.

[Vypyrz]

I don't watch Animal Planet anymore. All they do is give animal rights extremists like HSUS, ASPCA, and Sea Shepheard a place to push their agendas...